CO537-3706 — Page 39

KOWLOON BLUMS.

I

I mentioned this to Wang Chung-hui this evening.

said I had received Hsu Mo's letter. I thought it most

unlikely that the Hongkong Government would agree to postpone

matters any longer. The original soheme, initiated in 1938,

had already been postponed for a long time in deference to approaches by the Chinese authorities and, also in deference to their representations, an offer had been put before the

residents which they could accept voluntarily. Out of 64

houses about 60 or 61 had accepted this offer and moved into

much better quarters and were contented. The Hongkong Govern-

The remaining three

ment were under an obligation to these. or four had evidently been prompted to resist for some ulterio1 reason: it was unthinkable that they could have been encour-

aged owing to the better conditions of their present abodes.

The Hongkong Government must carry out their scheme.

Nevertheless, I had telegraphed Mr. Hsu Mo's letter to

Hongkong and the Foreign Office and asked Hongkong to let me know the present position, whether they had already acted and

what the effect had been.

I then went over the grounds on which Hongkong based

I said their right to act, beginning with the events of 1899. that for 80 years there had been no question raised as to our position. Moreover, when the question of these slum clear- ances had been raised a few years ago the War Office and Air Ministry had stated quite definitely that the existence in Kowloon City of Chinese administration would be entirely incompatible with military needs and the Governor held the view that the possibility of anti-Japanese or Communist

demonstration there could not be contemplated.

I could only

state to him our standpoint and say that I had no authority

/to